A major surgery is an invasive operative procedure where organs are removed, the normal anatomy is changed, or joints are rebuilt with artificial parts. Some major surgery procedures include appendectomy, knee replacement, kidney transplant, gastric bypass, hip replacement, cardiovascular surgery, and many neurosurgeries.

Organ transplants have lifelong implications for the transplant recipient. For example, when someone receives a liver transplant, there are a variety of lifestyle changes the recipient must make. Liver transplant recipients must not drink alcohol in excess, must be especially cautious about the safety of their drinking water, will likely need to take immunosuppressant medications to help prevent organ rejection, have to take particular care to avoid infections, and must avoid coming in contact with animal waste products (e.g.: have someone else tend to pets’ needs).